WhatsApp finally launches video calling for one billion+ people

WhatsApp messenger service is today officially rolling out end-to-end encrypted video calling to over 1 billion users of the app across the globe

‘We’re introducing this feature because we know that sometimes voice and text just aren’t enough,’ the company said.

‘There’s no substitute for watching your grandchild take her first steps, or seeing your daughter’s face while she’s studying abroad.’

‘Over the years we’ve received many requests from our users for video calling, and we’re excited to finally offer this feature to the world.’

To use the new feature, WhatsApp users can hit the call button in the top right corner of a conversation, which will bring up an overlaid interstitial asking if you want to voice or video call the friend or family member you’re chatting with. To kick off the video call, you simply select the “video call” option from this screen.

During the call itself, you can switch between the forward-facing and rear camera, mute the call or press the red button to hang up. It seems the user interface varies slightly on Android and iPhone in terms of where the picture-in-picture video feed is displayed, as well as the buttons’ size, lineup and placement.